The Kings of Aperitivo: Aperol & Campari

History, drink recipes, pairing tips and more

This week I found myself thinking back to August, and in particular, to Ferragosto – Italy’s major summer holiday celebrated on August 15 every year.

My husband and I love to host friends and family at our home just outside of Rome for Ferragosto – we put on food and drinks for whoever can make it (as a lot of people leave the heat of Rome in August for fresher climes) and spend the day catching-up and sharing stories, travel tips and memories late into the night.

This past Ferragosto when it came to aperitivo time – which is somewhere between 6pm and 7pm – the discussion turned to what we should drink before dinner.  

For aperitivo in Italy it is customary to have a light alcoholic drink with some small savory bites – it’s essentially the Italian equivalent of a happy hour, and like in the English-speaking world, lots of bars and restaurants will offer aperitivo deals in the evenings.

By far the most popular drink in Italy to have at aperitivo o’clock is a spritz – a cocktail-style drink with a liqueur base, mixed typically with prosecco (or another frizzante white wine) and sometimes lengthened with soda or sparkling water.

In modern Italy (we’ll save the history of the spritz for another time), there are two liqueur brands which are the most used bases for spritzes; Aperol and Campari.

(Can you tell which one I prefer?!)

Both are quintessentially Italian, but very different from each other. It should be noted also that these are not the only liqueurs used for spritz creation – there are literally hundreds of options, but as Aperol and Campari are mainstays of aperitivo, you will find them in every bar and restaurant in Italy.

Debating or discussing the differences of Aperol versus Campari is almost guaranteed at any aperitivo so lets dive in to these iconic brands and discover the differences, plus my perfect spritz recipe: